All meadows have their own sound, but most are becoming increasingly silent as a result of species decline. The "Silent Spring" scenario, which biologist Rachel Carson predicted in her 1963 non-fiction book of the same name, has long since become a sad reality in some places.
Holistic concept of an interdisciplinary team
In ten themed islands and a sound tent, the travelling exhibition "Land.schafft.Klang" by the Bayerischer Landesverein für Heimatpflege uses auditory perception to artistically and scientifically explore the topic of biodiversity and loss of species in agricultural landscapes.
The exhibition will open for the first time on 23 March 2024 at the Glentleiten Open-Air Museum in Upper Bavaria (district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen) and will be on display there until 30 June 2024.
The motto of diversity applies not only to the content of the presentation, but also to the interdisciplinary and equal cooperation in the realisation of this unique project. The initiator of Land.schafft.Klang was Lioba Degenfelder, a trained environmental engineer who works as a mediator at the interface between nature conservation and agriculture. Together with environmental ethnologist Laura Kuen, her curatorial work ranges from the findings of sound ecology to the long geological history of meadows and the sound of the soil. The freelance musician Evi Keglmaier builds a bridge between scientific and artistic approaches. With her requiem for vanished species, she plays in dialogue with the calls and songs of animals that no longer occur in Bavaria or whose populations could soon become extinct. The diversity of meadow sounds that still exist can be heard in Charles Kenwright's recordings. They show the extent to which human activity shapes ecology and landscape sound: Not all grassland sounds the same and rich meadow symphonies are becoming increasingly rare.
The bamboo constructions by designers Katharina Kuhlmann and Alfred Küng, some of which are over two metres high and sounding, shrink the human gaze to the level of blades of grass. The change in perspective also takes place spatially. The multicoloured design and the comic-style transcription of animal sounds underline the thematic tension between lightness and heaviness, fascination with diversity and acoustic loss.
Raising awareness of biodiversity
Wind, water, animals, plants and man-made noises create the sound of a landscape. Only close listening reveals the world of our "landscape co-inhabitants" and provides answers to questions such as which species are active when and how loudly and polyphonically they articulate themselves. If they can still be heard at all, because with the loss of species-rich habitats, we are not only losing important genetic diversity, but also the sound of unique natural orchestras. Meadows and pastures are to Bavaria what rainforests are to the tropics - true paradises of biodiversity.
Meaning of noises and sounds
As for us humans, the exchange of vocalisations is also an important part of the way many animals live together. They use calls, sounds and songs to share information with their conspecifics, sometimes even with other species. In this way, they ensure their survival, a successful search for a mate, but also good co-operation within their community. Natural sound spaces are neither chaotic nor uncoordinated. As in music, there are also low, high, melodious or percussive sounds in nature. In species-rich, intact habitats, many niches of a sound space are filled. All musicians are in their place - the biophony begins!
Plea for biodiversity
While bioacousticians study the sounds of individual animals, the young discipline of ecoacoustics analyses the entire soundscape of a place. It can provide information about the ecological state of a habitat. If ecosystems are disturbed or overexploited, the diversity of their sounds also disappears. The sound spectrum of a place becomes poorer. All living creatures are part of an infinite network of relationships. If one species disappears, this has an impact on many others. Biodiversity encompasses the totality of all species, their genetic diversity within populations and the diversity of ecosystems. It is the basis of all life on earth and makes vital processes such as clean water, fertile soil and breathable air possible in the first place. The greater the biological diversity, the more resilient ecosystems are. Communicating these important findings is one of the main concerns of the Land.schafft.Klang team.
Text: Peter Grett
Pictures
Charles Kenwright
Picture in text: Coen Weesjes